Simulation of the SSRMS Dynamics for Payload Maneuvering and Berthing

The Mobile Servicing System (MSS) is a Canadian-built space robotics system that will play a major role in the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS). The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), a major component of the MSS, is a robotic arm that will be used to relocate and install segments of the space station, logistics modules, and so on, in addition to providing a mobile support for EVA operations. This paper describes dynamic analyses and simulations that were performed by Spar Aerospace and the Canadian Space Agency using the Manipulator Development and Simulation Facility (MDSF) to verify feasibility and performance issues related to the maneuvering and berthing of the Science Power Platform (SPP) using the SSRMS. Several aspects of the operations are discussed including ability of the SSRMS to relocate itself on the Space Station, SPP hand-off from the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), and berthing of the SPP using the SSRMS Force Moment Accommodation (FMA) algorithm.